The Stained Glass Centre Wins Heritage Lottery Support

The Stained Glass Centre, based in the retired historic church of St Martin-cum-Gregory in York’s busy Micklegate, has secured £8,600 from the United Kingdom’s Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for a project called ‘Mobilising our Supporters, Empowering our Friends’. The project will involve volunteers to launch a new Friends organisation and develop a programme of activities, once again making this ancient building accessible to the community after many decades of closure.

Fig. 1. Keith Barley, conservation advisor to the British CVMA, at the Stained Glass Centre.

Giving new life to one of York’s finest medieval buildings, the Stained Glass Centre is developing as a national resource for the discovery and interpretation of stained glass. St Martin-cum-Gregory has long been a destination for those interested in this fragile medium. As the Stained Glass Centre, the church is developing into a venue in which residents, students and visitors can explore, participate in and learn more about one of the most beguiling of crafts, one that continues to be central to the heritage, culture and economy of the city of York. Now that the future of the building has been secured for public use, a programme of events is bringing people and new life back into the building.

Job Opportunity

The project will enable the Stained Glass Centre to employ a part-time development officer to work with volunteers and supporters in developing a varied and exciting programme of events, lectures, classes, performances and tours based in one of York’s most historic ‘lost’ buildings. A new Friends organization will be launched, and training and internship opportunities will be available.

With the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Stained Glass Centre is seeking to employ a part-time (0.4 fte) development officer for one year to assist it in achieving three goals:

1. to organise a database of supporters and friends and to establish a formal Friends group able to assist in the Centre’s growing programme of events and activities
2. to increase public access to the building
3. to implement a media plan

The successful applicant will be York-based, self-motivated, well-organized, an excellent communicator, and highly computer literate. A knowledge of historic stained glass and/or medieval architecture would be an asset.

Salary: in the region of £7500 for 15 hours per week
Closing date: 31 December 2013